Environment | Latest News Wires

Hundreds of families were evacuated and two water treatment plants were shut down after dozens of the cars left the tracks and 19 caught fire Monday afternoon, creating shuddering explosions and intense heat.

A new NASA satellite was launched Saturday to track the amount of water locked in soil, which may help residents in low-lying regions brace for floods or farmers get ready for drought conditions.

Baker Hughes, a Houston-based oil services company, will lay off thousands of workers as the company plans for a downturn amid collapsing oil prices. 

The political hot potato known as Keystone XL may soon be heading to President Obama's desk. After six years of deliberations over the proposed oil pipeline, forces on all sides of the debate are ready for Obama to make his decision.

A Keystone XL pipeline lawsuit in Nebraska has been thrown out, removing a major roadblock for the $7 billion cross-continental project.

Royal Dutch Shell will pay an $83.5 million settlement to a Nigerian fishing community for the country's worst oil spill. The settlement ends a three-year legal battle in Britain over two spills in 2008. 

White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday President Obama won't sign a potential bill approving construction of the north-south Keystone XL pipeline.

Oil is seen recovering in the second half of 2015 as non-OPEC production responds to lower prices, while demand picks up in the course of the year, the poll showed.

New York fracking ban comes as state officials deem that shale gas extraction carries unacceptable risks that haven't been sufficiently studied. New York has had a temporary fracking ban in place since the environmental review began in 2008. 

Oil prices have plunged to a fresh five-year low after the International Energy Agency reduced its outlook for global oil demand. The benchmark New York oil price slipped further below $60 a barrel in early Friday trading.